Former Premier League Referee David Coote Under Microscope Amid Disturbing Charges
"WHAT could have compelled him to do this?"
Published Sept. 10 2025, 1:48 p.m. ET
In the world of Premier League soccer, there are more wheels turning than just the players. There are coaches, physical therapists, and of course — referees. Among the most well-known referees in the league is — was — David Coote.
He was fired from the League in December 2024, following some unacceptable behavior.
Fans have had mixed reactions to his firing, but things got even more complicated when some new, and more serious, charges were laid against the former referee in 2025. Here's what we know about the newest charges.
What are the charges against referee David Coote?
Coote was a referee starting at the age of 16, his career first kicking off in Nottinghamshire. From there, he worked his way up to more prestigious positions, working at Notts Alliance League all the way on up to the National League and EFL, according to The Independent.
In 2010, he was promoted to the list of EFL referees, and received a promotion to referee in the Premier League in 2018.
There he officiated from 2018 to 2024 before his abrupt sacking in December 2024. Initially, he was fired for making disparaging comments about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. In June of 2025, Daily Mail reports, he was charged with an eight-week suspension and a mandatory education program for his behavior by the Football Association.
But the allegations didn't stop there.
In September 2025, news broke that Coote was charged with making indecent videos of a child. The charges come following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police, and stem from files recovered in February 2025, according to BBC. The charges were laid against Coote on Aug. 12, 2025, and he was held on conditional bail. According to BBC, charges were later added which included, "making an indecent photograph related to acts such as downloading, sharing, and saving material."
Coote's response to the charges has mollified some and enraged others.
Coote has said that he regrets his behavior, and blames some of it on the fact that he was hiding his sexuality, fearing to reveal that he was gay.
Daily Mail quotes him as saying, "My sexuality isn't the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I'm not telling an authentic story if I don't say that I'm gay and that I've had real struggles with hiding that."
He added, "I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well - a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that's led me to a whole course of behaviors."
Some have sympathy for the ref and consider this a smear job by Liverpool haters.
But others consider the charges very serious and have called for justice to be served whether he is found guilty or innocent. In the comments of one TikTok video, one user wrote, "WHAT could have compelled him to do this?"
Another added, "This is a very serious and concerning development. If the charges are proven true, it will have severe implications. It's important that justice is served, and the legal process must take its course."
Coote still has yet to appear before a Magistrate as of the publication of this article, so it's unclear what the outcome of the charges will be, but fans are divided over what's happened to the once-respected referee. He was spotted delivering for the courier firm Evri back in June, Daily Mail reports, which means it seems like his career in sports is over.